The Soul In The Body
by tv'slasthope
Summary: A normal day in service to the FBI brings Seeley Booth once again to the Jeffersonian Institute. But a chance meeting with a woman might just upend his world in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

**The Soul in the Body**

"I'm late, I'm late." Seeley Booth kept repeating to himself as he climbed out of his car. As usual he was meeting Bones, Temperance Brennan, and the rest of the squints at the Jeffersonian Institute.

A truly gruesome murder had come across the FBI's wavelength. The remains of a six-foot three human male, with skin that had been nearly scorched off and had settled on the skin. Bones was at work doing her thing and examining the remains and giving him all the scientific mumbo jumbo that he had gotten used to.

Lately, he had not been able to make it over to Maryland Avenue in quite a few weeks. He had been bogged down at the Agency's headquarters, pouring over reports and evidence. He had also been suffering from a series of nightmares: filled with strange beings, occult like symbols, crosses and blood that looked like streams of blood.

Needless to say, he had headed over to St. Matthew's as much as he could to try and take his mind off the provocative and disturbing images. Booth thought being surrounded by some grace would help dispel those visions. He really needed a vacation from his job. There were too many bodies lately and too much death.

"Oh!" A woman said in surprise, causing Booth to snap back from his intense preoccupation. He could add lost in thought to his long list of his job consuming his life.

"I'm sorry about that." Booth said scooping up the lady's purse on the ground, along with some of his dropped files. The woman was half bent over, after he had bent down to pick up her purse. Booth met her light blue eyes as they both stood up straight together.

"Um…" Booth started.

"Yeah...thank you." The blonde woman said with a laugh and smile as she reclaimed her purse.

"Sorry…" Booth said again.

The woman giggled and smiled, "You said that already, but It's quite alright."

Booth suddenly felt his heart skip a beat and his mouth hung slightly ajar, he suddenly found himself wanting to say so much to this woman but was unable to. Booth laughed tongue tied. The woman smiled back at him laughing.

"I'm sorry for how awkward I must look –'' Booth began to say.

"Not at all." The woman replied.

Booth continued: "I just suddenly have this feeling that we've met before."

"Oh, you do?" The woman replied.

"Yes, how strange? I don't…say that very often."

"I'm not asked that often to tell you the truth." The woman said in delight, her smile only getting wider and wider. It only seemed to make Booth happier, as if this was all he wanted for the day.

"I don't suppose we have?" Booth asked as charmingly as he could. The thought of the case, the thought of Brennan suddenly out of his mind.

'Ah…" the woman began to say, as her smile seemed to come down two degrees, but was still present on her face. Though Booth thought he saw her eyes water up. The woman brushed her hand over her face, regaining some composure.

"Well, let's fix that, I'm Booth, Seeley Booth."

A stifled laugh escaped the woman as the smile grew again. She cleared her throat and took Booth's hand.

"Anne…Anne is my name."

"Got a last name to go with it?" Booth asked.

"You'll have to earn there, Booth, Seeley Booth." Anne replied. They both laughed.

"Seeley is my first name, but a lot of people just call me Booth."

"Oh, and here I thought it was a James Bond thing." Anne said with a laugh.

"No, no, far from it." Booth said, trying desperately to think of something to keep the conversation with Anne going, to make it the top of his day.

'Do you work here?" Anne asked, pointing to his files.

_Yes!_ Booth said to himself in his mind.

"Hmmm, oh, no, no. I actually work over at the FBI."

"The FBI?" Anne said, "What brings you over here then? I don't see…J. Edgar Hoover or anything that would indicate this is where FBI people work. Or are you sneaking out of work? Are you a museum guy…Seeley?"

Seeley smiled back, "Hardly. This place is amazing, but I'm actually here on work, on the job. The scientists who work here are consultants for our cases. I was actually going over to meet with one of the scientists and her team."

"How exciting." Anne said.

"It has it's ups and downs, but the scientists here are very, very good."

"Oh, and here I thought I might try and suddenly steal you for the day." Anne said, her smile slowly leaving her face.

"Really now?" Booth said.

"I'm new to Washington and you're the first nice guy I've met here." Anne said with hope written on her face.

"Oh…" Booth began to say.

"BOOTH!" Hodgins called.

_Damn._ Booth shouted in his head.

Both Anne and Booth turned in the direction of Hodgins' voice.

"Come on, Dr. Brennan has some important evidence to share with you."

A frog filled Booth's throat; he desperately did not want to leave.

"I'm afraid duty calls." Booth said. A worried look crossed over Anne's face.

"Can I call you?" Booth asked.

"That would be great, but I sorta…lost it. I don't have one." Anne replied.

"Oh…" Booth began to say.

"But I'm going to hang around here for a while. Maybe…we can see each other after you're done?"

"BOOTH!" Hodgins called again.

"Coming!" Booth called back, looking over Anne's head. He quickly apologized for yelling.

"It might be awhile. And depending on what they tell me, I may have to leave." Booth said, "Maybe…you're address?"

Anne's mouth fell slack and then Hodgins called again.

"Still not settled unfortunately." Anne began to stammer, "I'll wait for you…I mean, I don't mind…I'll be here for a while. If not today, I'll look up your office – your office at the FBI…FBI office."

Booth smiled, "Alright. I think I can deal with that."

"Okay." Anne said.

"I'll see you." Booth said.

"Me too." Anne replied.

Booth excused himself and followed after Hodgins as the scientist escorted him to lab.

"Yo, who is that hot blonde you were talking to?" Hodgins asked.

"Just met her," Booth replied, "But I hope to find out more."

"Banging." Hodgins said with a smile.

"Hodgins, what have talked about?" Booth lectured as they entered the Brennan's lab.

Anne walked from the main entrance and out into the gardens of the Jeffersonian. She felt like she had a pit in her stomach and that she wanted to vomit and cry at the same time. She began to wander the gardens, almost as if she were hyperventilating.

"B!" A voice called. Anne turned and began to walk toward the voice, coming upon a woman with dark eyes and dark brown hair, looking out of place in the Washington D.C. heat.

"Buffy."

"There you are, Faith." Buffy said. They walked toward each other.

"Did you find –" Faith began to ask Buffy when the blonde threw her arms around her.

"I found him, Faith, I found him. I found Angel." Faith could sense that Buffy was filled with relief and at the same time, a certain dread. They parted from the support hug.

'That's good news?" Faith said with a smile, "We can bring him home soon."

"It's…"

"What?" Faith asked.

"Faith, he's…he's a different person. He's happy – happy and alive."

"What's…" Faith went silent for a moment and considered Buffy's words. "I see." Faith finally said.

"What do I do, Faith? What do we do? What will tearing him from this…this world do to him?"

Faith again fell silent. "I'm not sure," Faith said slowly, "But you'll figure it out. We'll figure something out.

Buffy looked back at the Jeffersonian building, her head awash with ideas and questions. Determination was in the mix as well, but at the same time, Angel was happy. Was what she about to do the right thing to do?


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark and calm. Booth moved cautiously; his finger ready at the trigger of his shot gun. His most recent case had brought him closer to finding a deranged serial killer, which he and the FBI now had on the run.

"_This is Mindhunter territory!" _Booth remembered Hodgins saying when he had briefed the team on the state of the investigation. How right Hodgins was.

Booth and his fellow agents were spread out amongst a series of abandoned buildings and warehouses, trying to encircle their target. Booth moved slowly and with care as he turned a corner, moving the gun back and forth before proceeding forward.

Buffy breathed slowly as she watched Angel – or rather Booth – as he was called. It was so odd seeing him like this. His smile, the light in his eyes and warmth that she had felt from his hand. The last twenty-four hours replayed through Buffy's mind. She never imagined she would have found him again.

_**The Day Before**_

"We found him!" Faith said upon entering the apartment and making a beeline for the kitchen. Buffy walked in slowly behind her – her mind on automatic – as she closed the door. Her mind full from finding Angel and the experience of meeting his new self.

"Dear Lord, you did?" Giles replied looking up from looking over Fred's shoulder.

"Another point for the witch." Faith exclaimed as she started searching for something to eat and began rummaging through different shelves and cupboards. "Damn I'm hungry." Faith said to herself.

"Great news!" Fred Burkle exclaimed, looking up from her computer screen, her glasses almost flying off the bridge of her nose.

"I never thought we would find him." Giles exclaimed.

"What's this I hear?" Gunn asked, coming from the back of the apartment.

"They found Angel!" Fred yelled excitedly.

"No way!" Gunn exclaimed.

"Everyone calm down, it isn't time for victory drinks yet!" Faith yelled while slamming the refrigerator door and opening a Boston Lager.

"Faith's right." Buffy managed to say, sitting down at the counter. Faith took a sip of the beer and handed it to Buffy, who accepted.

"I know that look, Buffy." Giles said, "What did you discover?"

Buffy went to take a sip of the beer and then reconsidered, "Thanks, Faith, but I've had bad experience with beer in the past," Buffy handed it back to Faith, "I'll pass."

"More for me." Faith said as she headed for the couch, she needed something comfy to sit on.

Giles approached Buffy carefully, putting his hand on the back of her chair, leaning in as a father would do.

"What was it?" Giles asked.

"Just tell 'em what you told me, B!" Faith said, leaning her head against the cushion of the couch. She felt exhausted from their time in D.C. The heat had been stifling all day.

Buffy looked up at Giles, took a glance from Faith, who flashed Buffy an encouraging wink, and then looked back at Giles.

"He doesn't know who I am, Giles. He didn't recognize me. Angel didn't even seem to be Angel. He was someone else completely!"

"I was afraid this might happen," Giles said, "after everything that's happened –"

"Don't start back up with that right now." Buffy interpreted.

"Right of course." Giles said, moving away from the counter.

"What we need to do next is to figure out what we do from here?" Buffy said, "How do we snap Angel out of – this – this…" Buffy faltered, trying to think of an analogy.

Gunn stood by silently, his thoughts drifting to when he had been stuck in a magical punishment realm created by Wolfram and Hart.

"This…life or what he has become." Buffy finally managed to say. She was tired and still felt the heaviness of jetlag. But upon their arrival in Washington D.C., when they had found a lead to where Angel could be, she had insisted on going to the Jeffersonian to see if she would catch sight of him. And she had gotten more than she bargained for.

"Hard to believe we're all here because we saw him on the cover of the _Washington Post._" Faith said shaking her head. She still couldn't get over how lucky they had been.

Buffy felt the same way during the clean up back in Los Angeles. She and Faith had been out, buying breakfast when they had walked by a local bodega, which sold newspapers from across the country. It was Faith who spotted the picture first.

_**FBI Investigates Serial Murders,**_ ran the headline – as Buffy recalled it. And then she and Faith literally screamed and jumped for joy right there in front of the bodega when they saw Angel's picture with the lead article.

Only he wasn't Angel anymore. He had become FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth

"Most, most fortunate." Giles agreed while slowly pacing back and forth, thinking with his glasses in his semi fisted hand resting against his chin.

"It's more like he's in his own Matrix." Fred added, her glasses on top of her head now and her hand on her waist.

"I'll tell Cordy." Gunn said.

"No, I'll tell her." Buffy said, exhaustion visible on her face. "I have to grab some sleep anyway." Buffy added.

Giles moved back to the kitchen table and began to leaf through a book, "I will look for a solution to our problem in the meantime." Giles assured Buffy.

"That's why we brought you." Buffy called as she walked down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

"Fred, why don't you and I get back to work." Giles suggested.

"Right." Fred agreed, putting her glasses back on her face.

Buffy moved quickly down the hall and reached the room Cordelia was in. She knocked out of courtesy, but there was no real point to do so. Buffy opened the door slowly and walked in quietly.

"Cordelia." Buffy whispered. On the bed lay her old friend. Cordelia's face was covered in sweat, a blanket covering her. Her head kept switching back and forth, right to left.

"Wha -what?" Cordelia whispered back in a weak, dream like trance.

Buffy went to Cordelia's side, sitting down on the side of the bed not occupied by her body. With care and compassion, Buffy picked up Cordelia's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I came to tell you that your hunch paid off. I found Angel."

"You-you did?" Cordelia asked through her haze and bewilderment. Buffy realized Cordy was still not fully recovered from her ordeal. No one was. Buffy wondered if Cordy would ever be fully recovered?

"I did," Buffy said reassuringly, "And we're going to bring him home."

"Buffy –" Cordelia gasped, "danger… you must be…careful."

"I will, Cordy. I will. You rest. I wanted to share the good news."

Buffy went to lay Cordelia's hand back down, so that she could leave and let Cordelia be. But Cordelia's hand tightly wrapped around Buffy's in an instance.

"Don't go." Cordelia asked.

"I want you to rest, Cordy. I don't want to be in the way."

"You're not." Cordelia gently answered, "Please, stay. I don't want to be alone and afraid."

Buffy squeezed Cordelia's hand back, too tired to argue. "I won't leave you alone." Buffy said reassuringly.

"Thank. You." Cordelia said each word quietly.

Buffy grabbed a pillow and placed it at the head of the bed and laid down on her back in the empty space next to Cordelia. Cordy remained lying on her righthand side.

To further reassure her, Buffy laid the back of her hand against Cordelia's exposed shoulder. Cordy then reached up and loosely rested her right fingers on top of Buffy's.

"Rest." Buffy whispered.

"You too." Cordelia whispered back. And the silence of the room enveloped them next, and they both fell asleep.

_**Now**_

Booth wished he had night vision goggles – the perp seemed to melt into the night. He held the shot gun steady, while he worked to keep his breathing under control and his feet from making too much noise on the crunchy ground. He wanted as much of the element of surprise as could be mustered.

An attack from the side, an aggressive, lion like yell and the perp reached for Booth's gun. Booth struggled with him; it became a tug of war for the gun. Booth pulled the gun toward himself, but his opponent seemed to have an iron life grip. Booth went to kick the perp but hit wind instead.

"Let go!" Booth said aggressively, but the perp headbutted him and knocked him to the ground, wrenching the gun from Booth's hands.

Booth fell hard on his back and at the same time could hear the shot gun being cocked.

"Dead copper!" The perp said, aiming the gun at him.

"Angel!" Buffy screamed from her perch, but then covered her mouth as the perp looked up and discharged a bullet in her direction.

Booth recovered quickly, kicked the perp from behind and reached for his gun on his hip. The perp fell to one knee and Booth got his pistol trained on the perp's head.

"Freeze! You're under arrest!" Booth said breathlessly.

The perp remained kneeling, no movement from him, he didn't turn his head, did not even looked scared.

"Drop the weapon!" Booth commanded.

The perp turned his head, eyeing Booth coldly, analyzing the situation.

"You sound familiar." The perp said, "Have we met?"

"Save it for your trial, you bleached hair fop! Drop the weapon, hands out."

"No, no - - we—It's you!" the perp said.

"I said drop the weapon and stop talking!" Booth reiterated, wishing he could radio for back up now.

"Oh, you haven't changed at all." The perp said and quickly turned, shoving the butt of the gun into Booth's stomach, knocking him over.

The prep cocked the gun again, Booth looked up, the barrel of the shot gun pointed right at him.

"No words for your old pal, Spike?"

"What?" Booth asked confused.

"What? You really don't recognize me?" Spike stared at Booth down the barrel of the gun. Spike felt his own disbelief rising. This was Angel and yet somehow it wasn't.

"You really don't, do you? Oh, well, I would have preferred this to be different." Spike pumped the shotgun, "This is still going to be so sweet regardless."

Booth watched the perp begin to squeeze the trigger and closed his eyes in anticipation of the blast.

"NO!" Buffy shouted, kicking the gun out of Spike's hands. The gun went off harmlessly into the air. Buffy punched Spike and he recoiled; his nose broken.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Spike roared when he came eye to eye with Buffy. He turned and ran. Buffy pursued him into the night.

Booth sat up, wondering what had happened. There were at least two people in front of him and they were nowhere in sight.

"This certainly is one of the strangest chases ever," Booth said to himself, as a flash light appeared in his eyes and dozens of his fellow agents appeared on his position.

"Shots fired. Shots fired." Booth heard being said into a walkie talkie.

"What happened?" One of the agents asked while helping him up.

Booth looked at his fellow agent and then around the area they were in. He looked down the path he heard the feet of the perp and his pursuer went.

"I wish I knew?" Booth replied at last as a helicopter flew overhead.


End file.
